Coffee CubBuster

In offering two young women assistance with their resumes the other day, I found myself perusing my own past cover letters and curriculum vitae. It has only been three years since I was teaching literacy in all its forms, yet it also feels like a lifetime ago. I remember how much I struggled with the tension between staying home and educating little minds with basic communication and preparing older minds to deconstruct and analyze various forms of communication. Paper presents a plethora of opportunities for engagement, while diapers really only present two. Thus, my mathematical dilemma seemed to have any easy answer. That's when I was given an opportunity that appeared potentially perfect. I accepted an English teaching position at a local college, which afforded me my days with kids and a few nights a week as Professor Smith.  The shiny allure of title tempted me need for validation. Thanks be to God that circumstances beyond my control actually took over postponing my st...

Have you ever seen a child lose their grip while climbing? Even if they are aware that you are right there to catch them, they instantly starting crying, screaming, or the like. This reaction stems from fear: fear of falling, fear of getting hurt, fear of not being caught, or fear of the unknown peril that awaits. We all share this reaction into adulthood. Of course this may seem to belabor the obvious, but if you believe, as I do, that there is always someone there to catch you, then why the impulsive and automatic response? Because it is a natural response to potential harm. We are conditioned to brace before blunder; this basic instinct benefits mankind (most of the time). If we didn't clench and prepare for the worst or scream for help, our physicality may endure more harm as a result. Thus, it's an adventageous reaction when it protects your body, but when it hinders your spirit from facing fear, it loses its value. I'm under the assumption (albeit true or false) that...

Looking back, Levi's entire life has been a dance. Sometimes it's a very slow sweet waltz of appreciation and miracles. Other times it's been a sporadic tap or stomp of uncertainty, or an unrehearsed Latin tango of intensity. Most often its been the two-step, when we are literally taking two steps forward and two steps back. Just after the thrill of removing a piece of plastic from Levi's abdomen and rejoicing that he's outgrowing his 18 month t-shirts, I sat down to hear professional educators prescribe Levi to a full special education classroom with a primary diagnosis of SDD: Severe Developmental Delay, and secondary diagnosis of Speech and Language impairment. While I had been thoroughly informed of this broad diagnosis, and even though all his current therapists believe a general education setting would be best, when the government met Levi for one hour and had to decide where he best fits, it makes perfect sense not to overwhelm him in a packed preschool. E...